Itoshi no Kana flavoring
by sorathecrow
Summary: Can you believe there's no Itoshi no Kana category? This is a collection of short and sweet moments in the lives of one haunted apartment's residents.
1. Utako and Kana

While she couldn't see or hear Kana, she could certainly feel her. She knew Kana's mischievousness firsthand (literally) whenever she was playfully groped in the shower. She could tell whenever Kana was angry because Daikichi would have the bruises to show for it. She could tell when Kana was happy whenever the air seemed to bristle with excitement, to the point that the energy would infect those around her. She hadn't felt anything like sadness from her before-either she was remarkably courteous for any sentient creature, ghost or human, not letting negative feelings burden those around her, or she relegated all such things to her alone time with Daikichi, not deigning to waste precious daytime sulking over the past. Most of all, she could always feel when Kana was there. She had a distinctive feel about her. It was a complicated feeling-difficult to categorize. As you might expect given what Kana was, the air seemed to cool whenever she was in the room. But it wasn't a gnawing chill of death like what you would think- there was a certain warmth whenever she was with Kana and Daikichi. Whether Kana was just cold and the warmth was due to Daikichi's presence, or if Kana was a little bit of both, their being inseparable made it hard to tell. But whenever she was with them, she never felt too cold. It reminded her of a very early spring day-the sun, out and covering everything in a comfortable warmth, while every now and then Winter, as it bustled back and forth packing its bags for the year, stirred a cool breeze, brushing through her hair and tickling the back of her neck.

These feelings were all she had, but they were enough for her-although she obviously hoped to grow closer to her as time went on. Maybe someday she might even catch a glimpse of her-or even see her regularly like Daikichi did. But she had the feelings anyway, and with Daikichi as mediator, she knew she had a friend in the ghost-girl. Two friends-one that she could relate to in a very personal way, and another in spirit, at least. That was a pretty good start, in her mind.

ANs: Itoshi no Kana (My Lovely Ghost Kana, for the non-moonspeakers) reeeally impressed me. It has a very pointed narrative focus, kinda like Yotsubato!, that focuses on the positives or one certain part of the world of the story, acknowledging that there is more going on in the background, but not giving quarter to any plot exposition that would drag the story too far into angst or otherwise letting CerberusSyndrome (tvtropes lingo for story narratives going darker and edgier) develop. Arguably InK has reverse CerberusSyndrome, starting with a character seriously contemplating suicide, and doing an almost complete 180 in mood afterwards (although it doesn't drop the melancholic undertones of real people trying to make crappy lives work). Anyway, great story. This was just me thinking about Utako a little bit. I hope she got to see Kana eventually. Who knows?


	2. A bath at home

(Author's Note: While I'm not sure if it's ever indicated positively or negatively that there is an actual bath there and not just showers, let's go with it.)

Glancing out the window, I saw that a light had come on in the room across the courtyard from us. That was our signal Utako was done with her bath and we now had the bathroom to ourselves. The ancient apartment complex had a large bath, but it was communal, so we had to be careful not to walk in on our single other resident. Utako seemed pretty good natured, all things considered, but I didn't want to push things by walking in on her again like last time. Now that we'd worked out a little system, though, it was nice. Before we'd gotten the hot water heater running and gotten the lighting working again, Utako had either been taking fast, cold showers, or splishing around pitifully in the bath, and Kana and I were going down the street to the bath house. It was hard to justify getting everything set up back when it was just me, but I'm really glad we have it now. Although Kana still likes to go to the one down the street every now and then.

"That's our cue! Let's go-I could use a nice soak!"

"Even after you dropped in on Utako three times? If you're not careful, your skin'll wrinkle," I teased the ghost.

"Mou~" The girl pouted from a little above-and upside down-me. "That was totally different! I barely touched the water. I want to soaaaak-"

"Okay, works for me. Grab my soap,"

"Roger!"

"A couple of towels,"

"Got it!"

"And don't forget the flashlight."

"Okay!"

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yup!"

I took the flashlight and my own towel, but I stopped before I opened the door.

"Okay..." I threw open the door and pointed my flashlight out into the darkness of the hallway. It was so thick it felt like it threatened to seep into our own, well-lit room, rather than vice-versa.

We'd managed to restore electricity to the key rooms we all used, but there were a lot of breakers we still hadn't tried, and the wiring in the building was old. It would probably still be a while before we got the hallways set up (assuming the wiring even worked), so today we had to settle for a creepy night time walk through the old, dark hallways. Our countermeasures: a small pocket flashlight for me, along with Kana's ghost light. During the night, the windows fogged up, probably because they were old and breezy, so what light from the stars there was could hardly get through. The night-light from the fogged up windows was just enough that you could tell where the windows were if they were close beside you, but they weren't enough to cut through the suffocatingly dark blanket covering the hallway.

And it was really suffocating-it was so thick, you could almost breathe it in. This wasn't our first trip to the baths, but I still had the urge to dart my flashlight this way and that in front of me, the light it cast seeming so insignificant. If shown in only one direction, the darkness only seemed to crowd in on the beam-highlighting, so to speak, how ineffective my flashlight was.

Kana wasn't much help either, really, her ghostly green will-o-wisps coloring the walls directly beside us an otherworldly tinge, but not serving to illuminate anything down the hall. At least her mood helped lighten the walk-she blithely floated beside me, humming one of Utako's songs and completely ignoring the darkness around us.

Turning the corner, we saw our checkpoint.

"Light! Sweet light~" Kana exclaimed, darting ahead of me, towards the stairwell that split off from the hallway and an emergency light that was on its last legs, casting a yellow flickering light. "Race you there!"

"No fair, you got a head start!" I laughed. I picked up my pace while trying to be careful not to trip on any loose floorboards as I had done the other day, when we last made the walk. While her ghost light was a little bit creepy, it at least let you see where you were walking.

She just laughed right back, safe in her oasis of light, as I trotted over to join her. After just a moment to savor the reprieve, we marched down the stairs. The glow from the light managed to stay with us for all of about five steps, and the rest of the way down was the same impenetrable darkness as before. I had to fight the urge to hold my breath as I stepped down, it was so much like sinking beneath the surface of some opaque liquid. Did I mention I can't swim? Or rather, I used to try, but bad things always seemed to happen when I did-testament to my horrible luck, I guess.

As we went in head-deep and below, I looked over at Kana. Knowing she was there made it better. Darkness like this is the scariest kind of darkness when you're by yourself, because you can never really tell for certain if you're actually alone. Sounds-the natural creaks and groans of an old, dilapidated building-become ominous. Creaking floorboards sound like footsteps following you, only to stop when you do. When you can't see everything, your imagination is pushed into overdrive, and it can be creepy, or downright scary. In total darkness, its even worse-there are no faint outlines to be warped by long shadows. Only you and your thoughts, and a creeping sense that you're not alone in the inky blackness. That's why I like having Kana next to me for the trip-I know whatever else my mind might cook up wouldn't be any worse than my actual reality. Of course, it probably can't be any more _unlikely_, either.

Finally, we came to the locker room. The decades-old paint on the lockers was old and flaky, patches of rust visible here and there. Most importantly, we were back in a part of building with light. I sighed in relief-the trip was always a little bit exhausting.

"We're here! We're there! It's the bath!" Kana cried. Her dress literally slipped right off, and she moved towards me, hands making menacing grasping motions. "Hurry up and strip, slowpoke! Do I need to heeeelp you? Heheheh..."

"Creepy laugh... Woah! Hey, wait, Kana! Ack-that tickles, don't-"

"But if I left it to you, you'd take forever folding them, and piling them in the basket neatly-this isn't the bathhouse, silly! Just strip and go! The water'll get cold if you wait too long~"

"You're all about the instant gratification, huh? Woah, where are you grabbing?"

"You don't seem to mind it that much~" She said, her touch lingering for a second. "This is just my extra service! "

"For you or for me-w-woah!"

"Ei-yah! Clothes, in the corner! Now upsie daisy!"

"Wah-"

"Cannon ball!"

"Uwah!"

_Kersplash!_

"Ahahaha, how's the water, Daikichi-kuuuun?"

"Why don't you see for yourself? Here!" _SPLASH! _"And here!" _Splash!_

"Kya! Hah-you call that a splash? Tei-yah!" _Fwoosh!_

"Not bad, but try this!"

"Oh yeah, well take this, and this, and this! Ahahahahaha!"

"Haha, I guess this is one of the side benefits of taking baths here," I said, leaning back against the edge to catch my breath.

"Yup!" Kana said, sidling up to lean against me. "We can splaaash, and plaaay, and d_o this and that_ and don't have to worry about people nagging us to quit."

"That, and it's all free! Hey, pass the soap. Heh, we're doing this a little out of order doing this _now_, but want me to wash your back?"

"That sounds great! Then I get to do yours!" Kana said. "And your front, and..."

We spent so long in the tub that my hands were shriveled up like raisins by the time we got out.

"Here's the towel, Daikichi-kun!"

"Brr, the air's cold! Thanks!"

"C'mon, be a man! Where's your fiery spirit?"

"Well, I have my spirit right here..." Wet hug. "And as for my fire..."

I paused just long enough for Kana to tilt her head questioningly.

"Kiiiiya!" I shouted, trying to strike a fighting stance, but instead slipping on the damp tile and pinwheeling my arms wildly.

"Snrk-bwahahaha! Luckily for you I don't love you for your coordination."

"Uhg. That's what I get for trying to be cool. Wanna have one of those fruit milks when we get back? If the date's still good on those ones we had in the fridge." I call it a fridge, but it's really more of an ice box.

"Ooh ooh! Heck yes! THAT'S what I love you for!"

"For fruit milk?"

"Weee~ Fruit milk, fruit milk! Hurry up and get dressed already!"

The happy mood held strong most of the way back to the stairwell, at least, Kana and I chatting about the merits of beer versus fruit milk after a bath.

"Safe!" Kana yelled, mock-sliding most of the way up the stairs like some supernatural baseball player.

"We might need to invest in a new bulb for this light-I think it's on its last legs."

"Yup...we'd be stuck if this one went out."

"Uh-huh. Although we really need to get back to the breaker box one of these days and figure out what this whole wing is on..."

"But, I've been wondering... Why are we the one's doing this anyway? Shouldn't whoever owns this place take care of it?" Kana asked.

"The problem is, I don't even know how to find that out... I just kind-of...came across this place, and I'm half-expecting someone to appear one day and demand I pay up for all the utilities I've been using."

"So, that means no one's going to do it for us?"

"Pretty much. Unless you remember someone coming by before I came here?"

"Nooo... Not that I can remember. I mean, people have come around before, yeah. But they were usually just kids on dares and stuff. If someone _official_ came by, I was probably in the wall and didn't realize they were here."

"Figures. On the bright side, no H.O.A. fees!"

"H.O.A.?"

"Eh, nevermind, don't worry about it. Ready for the last leg?"

"Yup! Race you back!"

"Huh? Wai-"

"Threetwoone START!"

Out impromptu race got us through the last stretch without too much trouble, although I may have stubbed my toes a few times on the uneven floor.

"I win! I win! I win!"

"Uhg...my everything hurts..."

"Silly Daikichi-kun! Now, get in there and get me a beer!"

"Yes-ma'a-wait, I thought you wanted the milk?"

"Oh yeah...uhm, both!"

"Ew."

"Teeheehee, you never know until you've tried it..."


End file.
